Feb 10, 2013

Day 35: I am amazed!!

I've amazed myself!

After the disappointment of last night's realisation, I decided before breakfast that I'd make something comforting: a nice easy, reliable, achievable item that would be quick, pretty and fun. I remembered Emmie's Taggies Birdie and thought that was the job for today.

I love my French curve.

I made this pattern in preparation.

I held it up for Hub to see. It's nice, he says, but maybe you could make an Australian bird, like a cockatoo. The wind out of my sails, I wracked my brain.
I haven't any yellow, I said.
We've an old T-shirt that's going to waste, offered the Goddam Problem-solver.
I would like to try up-cycling something... Anyway, success was the name of the day, not experimentation. Not risk, no sir.
But now my design seemed so simple and inadequate. I was feeling beaten already.

I told Hub that I'd never made an animal pattern from scratch. Remember my little people? They were very odd. Today, I want something I can do.
But this will be so much more rewarding, he blithely counters. You'll feel so satisfied by the end.
Or hairless, I thought.

We looked through some picture storybooks for inspiration. Further intimidated by the beautiful illustrations and so wishing I could do a Crimson Rosella or a lorikeet, I tried going in reverse: what can I make. I went through my stash and thought of birds. Why was I still stuck on birds? Because I'm nothing, if not hopeful.

So I flipped through some Google images of a bird I did have the materials for, turned the page over and sketched something new.

And it's turned out well! Like, way better than I expected. As in, really quite okay.